Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale (Caldecott #3)

The next book I chose to read (per my many elementary-school-teacher-friends recommendations) was Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, written and illustrated by Mo Willems (who also wrote/illustrated Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! that I discussed a few posts back).  Knuffle Bunny is about a little girl named Trixie who goes to the laundromat with her daddy.  On their way back to their house she gets agitated and tries to tell him something but he doesn't understand because she is speaking baby gibberish.  When they get home, her mommy notices that Trixie's stuffed bunny is missing.  The family runs back to the laundromat and searches until they find the bunny.  Trixie then says her first words, "Knuffle Bunny!".

I just have to say that I think Trixie is creepy and looks like a boy.    I'm not really a huge fan of the way Mo Willems drew the cartoon characters of Trixie, Knuffle Bunny, her daddy, her mom, etc. on top of the real pictures of places in Brooklyn, BUT I do think it's a very unique way to illustrate a book, something I haven't seen before.  I definitely like the way Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is illustrated versus Knuffle Bunny, but it is interesting to see the different styles that Mo Williams demonstrates in these two books.  Even though I don't really like the cartoon characters mixed with the real life pictures I do think he was very skillful in the way he made the cartoons fit perfectly with the photographs.  That is something that I think adults would appreciate more than children.  In my experience it is also unusual (or at least in the minority) to see a child's book that is set in a city the way Knuffle Bunny is set in Brooklyn with the family visiting the laundromat.  That is nice to have a variety from so many kid's books.

I think the part that kids would like best are all nonsense words that Trixie says.  I bet that hearing "aggle, flaggle, klabble, wumby, snurp" would make kids laugh and laugh.  Although I don't remember the frustration of trying to talk and not being understood I can relate to Trixie's daddy when he is trying to figure out what she is saying.  I worked in a daycare during college and I teach Sunday school at church and there have been several times when a child is "talking" to me and I can't understand what he or she is saying because they're speaking their own language.  I'm also assuming that the "cautionary tale" is

Overall this is my least favorite book of the three I have read and reviewed so far.  I don't hate it but it wouldn't be one that I would hope my kids picked to read over and over and over.